sea green
by Immoroita
Summary: He was her anchor to the world, and not even Johanna Mason could take him away from her. —JohannaFinnickAnnie, exactly 1000 words.


"I love you, Finnick."

"I know."

"…"

"I love you too."

"… would you love me more if I were less – well – mad?"

"Of course not, Annie. I love you just as you are."

**x**

Annie Cresta is mad, crazy, insane, but she is not blind or deaf.

Everyone treats her like she is, though, and whisper about her when she walks past. They call her the accidental victor, the stroke of luck, the strange twist of fate.

She hears every word and pretends not to care.

**x**

Nobody in their right mind has ever thought that someone like Annie would stand even a remote chance with a handsome and eligible young man like Finnick Odair, least of all Annie herself, but Finnick has stuck by her side all these years.

Perhaps this is why she is so possessive of him; the fact that he thinks someone who has lost her mind ages ago in the Hunger Games is still worthy of his love is sufficient to make Annie tear up. He is so patient with her, so gentle, so kind, that if he were to leave her, if Annie were to lose her Prince Charming, there would be nothing left keeping her alive.

Without Finnick's love and tender patience to sustain her, Annie thinks, there would no longer be anything left living for.

**x**

Johanna Mason is brash, loud, violent. She's everything Annie isn't.

Annie sees her cast glances at Finnick that are less than platonic, and the way Finnick and Johanna are able to joke around together so readily is unnerving. She tries to change herself – copies Johanna's mannerisms, tells crude jokes, tries to act tough and afraid of nothing.

Nobody tells her that her pure, innocent appearance makes it so that this behavior makes her seem completely off her rocker. Nobody tells her that her smile is so forced that it's easy to look through. Nobody tells her that Finnick doesn't like this new Annie.

**x**

"This isn't you. Be the old Annie Cresta again."

"You're not having her if she's not what you really want."

**x**

_you're being selfish, annie cresta.  
stop holding on to him, annie. you love him, don't you?  
if you love him, set him free._

**X**

Annie can't just let Finnick go. He is her entire world, the only thing that anchors her to the ground, the one who calls her back when she goes off into one of her trances. Not even Johanna Mason will take someone like that, someone like Finnick Odair, away from her. _(And she's so caught up in her own woes that she can't see just how much Finnick loves her and not Johanna.)_

**x**

Annie walks into Finnick's living room one day to find Johanna and Finnick talking on the couch. She's just in time to see Johanna lean forward to give Finnick a hug, her breath tickling his ear. Annie's breath hitches in her throat as she waits on tenterhooks for Finnick to pull away.

He doesn't.

Her world spins around and turns upside down as she screams in outrage and flies at not Johanna, but Finnick. He turns in surprise as Annie slaps him on the face harder than she's ever slapped anyone; a burning red mark is left on his cheek. The bronze-haired man puts his hand to his face and stares up at her guiltily as Johanna draws back, looking impassive, and Annie feels hot, angry tears spring to her eyes.

**x**

_i suppose happily-ever-after doesn't really exist._

**x**

He finds her sitting on the rocks by the beach, staring vacantly out at the horizon. Blue waves of varying hues lap at her feet as Finnick sits down by her. He tries to explain it away, but Annie says nothing.

She turns to look at him. His cerulean eyes are terrified, and suddenly Annie realizes that maybe he's just as afraid of losing her as she is of losing him.

It takes a long time, but finally she whispers that she forgives him, so quietly that the waves almost snatch her words away. He kisses her gently, sweetly, tasting of the sea and of love and of all the things that are good in life, and Annie can almost forget about Johanna Mason.

Almost.

**x**

Demons still claw at the insides of Annie's skull at night-time, broken memories of her past, but this time they're joined by nightmares of Finnick deserting her and going off with Johanna. With her signature smirk, Johanna wraps herself around him and kisses him fiercely, he returning the favor, as fires erupt around them and Annie feels herself falling, falling, falling.

But every time she wakes up with tears streaming down her face, a scream escaping from her mouth, Finnick is there, holding her in his arms, stroking her hair, kissing her face as she shakes in his arms, feeling cold and sad and terrified – oh, so terrified…! He whispers to her that everything will be fine.

She believes him with all her heart, as she always has, and always will.

**x**

Annie goes back to being her regular old crazy self that everyone gossips and whispers about when she walks by, and Finnick is there, by her side, his arm around her shoulders, anchoring her to the world, and she feels happier than ever nowadays.

Johanna Mason is still there, of course, and she probably will never really stop having a warm place in her heart for Finnick Odair, but Annie doesn't let that bother her any more. Finnick gave her his heart, and she lost hers to him.

No matter what will happen to them, they will always be able to find sanctuary in the thought of each other.

**x**

_don't be so worrisome, annie cresta.  
remember that finnick loves you and will always be there for you.  
it's all okay, annie.  
everything is going to be just fine._

**x**

"I love you, Finnick."

"I know."

"… but you don't love me, do you?"

"No."

"Not even a little?"

"No. I – I don't."

"…"

"… I'm sorry, Johanna."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I present to you a 1000-word fic two hours in the making. (1013 counting the 'x's that separated the little sections.) I tried to capture their personalities as best I could, but I don't think I did all that good of a job.

Oh, well.

Please do not favorite without reviewing!


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